Monday, March 25, 2013

CyanogenMod founder leaves Samsung, bashes TouchWiz UI

Back in August 2011, CyanogenMod founder Steve Kondik was hired by Samsung due to the man’s expertise of the Android platform and its customization powers. However, after only a year-and-a-half on the job, Kondik has decided to leave the company, but not before sharing some thoughts on Samsung’s new GALAXY S 4. His words were mostly praises, but he created a little thunder when talking about the company’s TouchWiz user interface.Kondik posted his thoughts of the GALAXY S 4 on his Google+ page, and he mostly praised the device, saying that while there was “no refresh of the industrial design other than a few minor things such as the edging…the device actually feels quite a bit more solid than the [Galaxy S III].” Kondik also noted that the new device “blows the competition out of the water” as far as specs are concerned.

However, his thoughts on Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface weren’t as praising. Kondik said that TouchWiz has become more polished with the latest version on the GALAXY S 4, but he says that “it feels like it has been sent a few years back in time to the Froyo days.” As for the UI’s performance, Kondik says “it’s better and worse at the same time, depending on your viewpoint I suppose.”

Kondik’s Google+ post was merely just a quick review of the new device from his viewpoint, ending with the recommendation that most Galaxy S III users don’t really need to bother updating to the GALAXY S 4 right away, but it is a substantial upgrade from the Galaxy S II. Kondik left Samsung on good terms, however, and says that he has plans lined up for the foreseeable future.